Information between 11th September 2025 - 1st October 2025
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Division Votes |
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15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 82 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 318 Noes - 170 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 85 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 329 Noes - 163 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 85 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 326 Noes - 160 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 82 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 316 Noes - 172 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 83 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 330 Noes - 161 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 85 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 330 Noes - 158 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 83 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 316 Noes - 161 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 82 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 330 Noes - 161 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 81 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 332 Noes - 160 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 82 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 328 Noes - 160 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 83 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 314 Noes - 178 |
15 Sep 2025 - Employment Rights Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 81 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 327 Noes - 164 |
16 Sep 2025 - Sentencing Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 72 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 340 Noes - 77 |
16 Sep 2025 - Sentencing Bill - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 73 Conservative Aye votes vs 0 Conservative No votes Tally: Ayes - 78 Noes - 292 |
16 Sep 2025 - Child Poverty Strategy (Removal of Two Child Limit) - View Vote Context Matt Vickers voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House One of 75 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes Tally: Ayes - 89 Noes - 79 |
Speeches |
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Matt Vickers speeches from: Oral Answers to Questions
Matt Vickers contributed 2 speeches (171 words) Monday 15th September 2025 - Commons Chamber Home Office |
Written Answers |
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Care Workers: Labour Turnover
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 15th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the retention of social care workers in areas with a high rate of vacancies. Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.
Skills for Care data suggests the adult social care workforce is growing. Skills for Care data shows in 2024/25 there were 1.6 million filled posts, an increase of 52,000, or 3.4%, from 2023/24. Skills for Care data also shows that the turnover rate decreased from 25.8% in 2023/24 to 24.7% in 2024/25 in the independent sector.
The Government is committed to a well-supported adult social care workforce who are recognised as the professionals they are. Those with the opportunity to develop and progress in their role are far more likely to remain within the adult social care workforce. That is why we are delivering an ambitious programme of reforms with the aim of attracting people to join and remain in the sector, help professionalise the workforce, and improve the quality and experience of those receiving care. These include delivering the first universal career structure for the whole adult social care sector, a Learning and Development Support Scheme backed by up to £12 million funding in 2025/26, and introducing a Fair Pay Agreement. |
Defence: Carbon Emissions
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 15th September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Defence: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the defence sector’s contribution to net zero targets. Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains fully committed to contributing to the UK achieving its legal commitment to be Net Zero by 2050. Between Financial Year 2019-20 and Financial Year 2023-24, the MOD as a Department has reduced its overall emissions from 3,650,000 tCO2e to 3,012,000 tCO2e. A more detailed breakdown of Defence energy use and associated carbon emissions can be found in Annex D of the MOD Annual Report and Accounts.
The wider Defence sector must comply with Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 006 Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts, requiring Carbon Reduction Plans, to be published online at supplier selection stage for procurements valued at £5 million (ex VAT) or more per year, where relevant and proportionate. MOD are encouraging the application of PPN 016: Carbon Reduction Contract Schedule which provides standard terms to support decarbonisation objectives, including Greenhouse gas emissions reporting, reduction targets, and monitoring through supplier Carbon Reduction Plans. Additionally, when procuring infrastructure, the MOD must adhere to Joint Services Policy 850 to ensure energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction.
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Ministry of Defence: Land
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 15th September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Defence: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with local authorities on Ministry of Defence estate (a) disposal and (b) redevelopment. Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) As part of ensuring defence’s role as an engine for growth, the Ministry of Defence holds frequent discussions with Local Authorities across the country when formulating plans for the disposal of sites for which there is no further Defence requirement, and plans for redevelopment on the operational estate.
These discussions cover a wide range of policy matters ranging from town planning, environmental and heritage matters, to transport and ecology.
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Defence: Procurement
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 15th September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Defence: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of defence procurement spending in the (a) Tees Valley and (b) North East. Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) The Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes annual statistics on expenditure with industry and commerce by UK region.
On the 11 September 2025 the Department will publish the next edition which will be found here: MOD regional expenditure with industry: index - GOV.UK and will cover MOD for expenditure with commerce and industry for Financial Year 2024-25.
This will include a breakdown of spending by region, including a breakdown for the North-East but we are unable to disaggregate that to the Tees Valley as this represents a sub region. The Department system currently captures data at regional level.
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Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 12th September 2025 Question to the Home Office: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of life jackets recovered from small boat crossings since 4 July 2024; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of their disposal. Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office) The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost. The majority of life jackets seized arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process, and are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and, where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled. |
Coeliac Disease: Gluten-free Foods
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 12th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) Coeliac UK and (b) other patient representative groups on access to gluten-free staple products in England. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not held any meetings with integrated care boards (ICBs) or patient groups on the provision of gluten free (GF) bread and flour mixes for patients diagnosed with coeliac disease. Following consultation, the legislation restricting the prescribing of GF foods to bread and mixes came into force in December 2018, and NHS England’s guidance on prescribing GF foods in primary care was subsequently issued to clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs. Following a review in 2019, the position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. NHS England currently has no plans to update the guidance. |
Coeliac Disease: Gluten-free Foods
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 12th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Integrated Care Boards on the provision of gluten-free bread and flour mixes for patients diagnosed with coeliac disease. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not held any meetings with integrated care boards (ICBs) or patient groups on the provision of gluten free (GF) bread and flour mixes for patients diagnosed with coeliac disease. Following consultation, the legislation restricting the prescribing of GF foods to bread and mixes came into force in December 2018, and NHS England’s guidance on prescribing GF foods in primary care was subsequently issued to clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs. Following a review in 2019, the position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. NHS England currently has no plans to update the guidance. |
Dementia: Continuing Care
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 12th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS Continuing Healthcare for people with (a) young onset dementia and (b) other forms of dementia. Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) Our national statutory guidance, the National framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, outlines that access to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment, care provision, and support should be fair, consistent, and free from discrimination. This national statutory guidance is available at the following link: Eligibility for CHC is not determined by diagnosis or condition. Individuals can be identified and referred for CHC assessments by a variety of health or social care practitioners who have been trained and are known to the individual. Individuals and families can also request a CHC assessment from a health and care practitioner. Integrated care boards should make the CHC Public Information Leaflet available to members of the public, for example through local National Health Service websites, hard copies on hospital wards, through primary care outlets, local care homes, and local voluntary sector organisations. This Public Information Leaflet containing further information on CHC is available at the following link: NHS England has also commissioned an information and advice service for CHC, supplied by Beacon, which individuals and their families might find helpful, and which is available at the following link: https://beaconchc.co.uk/how-we-can-help/free-information-and-advice-on-nhs-continuing-healthcare/ |
Unemployment: Young People
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 12th September 2025 Question to the Department for Education: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people classed as NEET in Teesside. Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education) I refer the hon. Member for Stockton West to the answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69622. |
Dementia: Continuing Care
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 12th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include specialist assessments by dementia nurses as standard evidence in NHS Continuing Healthcare eligibility decisions. Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) There are no plans to update NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) guidance regarding mobility assessments or specialist assessments by dementia nurses. The CHC assessment process is supported by the Decision Support Tool. This provides practitioners with a way to bring together and record an individual’s needs in the twelve ‘care domains’, including mobility. The assessment should consider the ways in which an individual’s needs interact with one another, for example how cognition impacts on mobility. Eligibility for CHC is not determined by diagnosis or condition but is assessed on a case-by-case basis considering the totality of an individual’s needs, ensuring a person-centred approach. Someone with specialist knowledge of an individual’s condition, for example dementia, should be involved in the process. Assessments should take into account evidence from a comprehensive range of assessments relating to the individual. For individuals with dementia, this could include specialist assessments by dementia nurses. |
Asylum: Age Assurance
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Wednesday 17th September 2025 Question to the Home Office: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of defaulting to a claimant’s self-declared age where no independent verification is available on the provision of effective (a) safeguarding and (b) community safety. Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office) The age of a person arriving in the UK is normally established from the documents with which they have travelled, but many do not have any definitive documentary evidence to support their claimed age. There are clear safeguarding issues which arise if a child is inadvertently treated as an adult, and equally if an adult is wrongly accepted as a child and placed in accommodation with children to whom they could present a risk. Where there is reason to doubt an individual’s claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process for assessing their asylum or immigration claim. If there is doubt whether a claimant is an adult or child, they will be referred to a local authority’s Children’s Services Department who are then able to either undertake an age assessment themselves or can refer into the National Age Assessment Board for further consideration of their age in the interests of safeguarding. Regardless of age, where issues relating to safeguarding or community safety are raised, referrals will be made to the relevant authorities. |
Asylum: Age Assurance
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Wednesday 17th September 2025 Question to the Home Office: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards are in place to ensure that recording an asylum claimant’s self-declared age does not place adults at risk of being accommodated with children. Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office) The age of a person arriving in the UK is normally established from the documents with which they have travelled, but many do not have any definitive documentary evidence to support their claimed age. There are clear safeguarding issues which arise if a child is inadvertently treated as an adult, and equally if an adult is wrongly accepted as a child and placed in accommodation with children to whom they could present a risk. Where there is reason to doubt an individual’s claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process for assessing their asylum or immigration claim. If there is doubt whether a claimant is an adult or child, they will be referred to a local authority’s Children’s Services Department who are then able to either undertake an age assessment themselves or can refer into the National Age Assessment Board for further consideration of their age in the interests of safeguarding. Regardless of age, where issues relating to safeguarding or community safety are raised, referrals will be made to the relevant authorities. |
Renewable Energy: Training
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Tuesday 16th September 2025 Question to the Department for Education: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has a budget for retraining programmes for adult workers transitioning from oil and gas to renewable energy. Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education) Green skills are essential to driving economic growth and achieving the UK’s net zero target by 2050. Clean energy and advanced manufacturing have been identified as priority sectors in the Industrial Strategy. To support this, the government will invest an additional £1.2 billion annually in skills by 2028/29, expanding opportunities across high-growth industries. As part of this, over £100 million will be directed toward engineering skills development through education, apprenticeships, and the establishment of Technical Excellence Colleges in key sectors like advanced manufacturing. The government will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund in the 2025/26 academic year. This includes funding the Free Courses for Jobs offer, which gives eligible adults the chance to access a high value level 3 qualification for free, helping support them to gain higher wages or a better job in key sectors, for example in heat pump installation. The government will also support adult learners through our technical education offer, including through a range of apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps. |
Fraud: North East
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Wednesday 17th September 2025 Question to the Home Office: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of fraud-related crime rates in the North East. Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) The Home Office holds data on incidents of fraud reported to Action Fraud by Police Force Area (PFA), which is published each quarter by the ONS and is available at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables. |
NHS: Agency Workers
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Thursday 18th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the use of (a) agency and (b) locum staff on reducing waiting lists. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) The Department has not made an assessment and has no plans to make an assessment on the impact of regional variations in staff vacancy rates, the time taken to recruit into nursing roles, or the use of agency and bank staff, on elective waiting list lengths. NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the National Health Service including delivery of the interim electives ambition of meeting nationally 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks, along with a minimum 5% improvement, that was set out in the Elective Reform Plan. It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage staffing of all professions, including through use of agency and bank staff, to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations. |
Nurses: Recruitment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Thursday 18th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to recruit into nursing roles on elective care backlogs. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) The Department has not made an assessment and has no plans to make an assessment on the impact of regional variations in staff vacancy rates, the time taken to recruit into nursing roles, or the use of agency and bank staff, on elective waiting list lengths. NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the National Health Service including delivery of the interim electives ambition of meeting nationally 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks, along with a minimum 5% improvement, that was set out in the Elective Reform Plan. It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage staffing of all professions, including through use of agency and bank staff, to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations. |
NHS Trusts: Vacancies
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Thursday 18th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of regional variations in staff vacancy rates on waiting list lengths in NHS trusts. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) The Department has not made an assessment and has no plans to make an assessment on the impact of regional variations in staff vacancy rates, the time taken to recruit into nursing roles, or the use of agency and bank staff, on elective waiting list lengths. NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the National Health Service including delivery of the interim electives ambition of meeting nationally 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks, along with a minimum 5% improvement, that was set out in the Elective Reform Plan. It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage staffing of all professions, including through use of agency and bank staff, to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations. |
NHS: Staff
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Thursday 18th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to make workforce data transparent at (a) trust and (b) ICB level. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) There are a range of data sources published by NHS England relating to staff employed by National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards (ICB) in England, including monthly data on NHS workforce statistics, including information on the current staff in post as well as turnover. This information is provided at a trust level and ICB level as well as at a national level, and is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
There is also monthly data on sickness absence rates for staff working in the NHS. As well as containing data on national sickness absence rates across staff groups, this data is also available at an ICB and trust level at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-rates
There is also quarterly data on vacancy rates in NHS trusts at a regional level, available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey
The above is also, on an ad hoc basis, published at trust level, such as in the supplementary release available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/supplementary-information/2024/total-vacancy-rates-by-org-since-201718
Additionally, the results of the annual NHS Staff Survey are also available at trust level at the following link: https://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/national-results/
The Department and NHS England continue to review and develop available data sources on the NHS workforce at a local level. |
NHS: Staff
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Thursday 18th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is monitoring the number of administrative staff working in NHS back office functions; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in those staff on (a) front-line staffing and (b) waiting lists. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) The Department monitors monthly Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England which are published by NHS England. These cover staff employed by hospital trusts and integrated care boards. The published statistics include data for the National Health Service infrastructure workforce, which includes NHS managers, staff working in central functions, such as human resources and finance, and staff working in property and estates roles. These are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
No specific central assessment of the impact of changes in the levels of NHS infrastructure roles has been undertaken by the Department but local bodies were tasked through the 2025-26 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance to review and monitor expenditure on non-frontline staff in order to prioritise frontline care. This guidance also reiterates the ambition of meeting nationally the target of 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks, along with a minimum 5% improvement, that was set out in the Elective Reform Plan. |
Motor Neurone Disease: Research
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Friday 19th September 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England and (b) the National Institute for Health and Care Research on (i) expanding the number of recruiting sites for and (ii) including James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough in the MND-SMART trial. Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) Decisions on site selection for clinical trials rest with the study sponsor, shaped by the design and requirements of the trial. No discussions about the MND-SMART trial have been held with the Department. However, while we are not directly involved in these decisions, the Department works through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to ensure a fair and transparent process for site identification. The NIHR’s United Kingdom-wide site identification service enables National Health Service organisations, including the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, to express interest and suitability to host research. This provides an inclusive and transparent process that ensures opportunities are shared equitably across the country, with decisions guided by the real-time capacity and capability of sites. The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with motor neurone disease, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to take steps to review court procedures to ensure deaf jurors are not excluded from panels on the grounds of the cost of the provision of British Sign Language interpretation. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Government is committed to opening up jury service to as many eligible people as possible and ensuring disability is never a barrier. No juror is expected to meet the cost of interpreting. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) arranges and funds British Sign Language interpreting for jurors throughout their service, including during deliberations, via national language service contracts.
Jurors may also claim loss of earnings and other allowances under existing regulations, so cost should not prevent eligible deaf people from serving. HMCTS keeps operational procedures under review with the judiciary to ensure provision is timely and effective and that eligible jurors are not excluded from panels on cost grounds. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department monitors compliance with the legal right to British Sign Language interpreters in jury deliberation rooms in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 placed the right to British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting in the jury deliberation room on a statutory footing (now section 9C of the Juries Act 1974). The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a range of high-quality language services that meet the needs of all those that require them. Visual and tactile provisions, including sign language interpreters, are met and monitored through the Ministry of Justice's language services contract with Clarion Interpreting Ltd. Whilst HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not record protected characteristics of jurors in respect of complaints, an interrogation of data held suggests that there have been two recorded complaints regarding interpreter provision for jury service support in the last five years. When concerns are raised, HMCTS addresses them at a local level and, where appropriate, escalates issues through established contract management processes and ongoing improvements in data quality and governance. The quality of interpreting provided to the Department, including the management of its register of interpreters, is assured by an independent provider, The Language Shop (TLS). TLS undertakes a programme of assessments for interpreters, as well as an annual audit of supplier processes for onboarding new interpreters. These safeguards ensure the legal right is delivered in practice while maintaining the integrity of the jury room. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Deaprtment is taking to ensure that cost does not prevent deaf people from serving as jurors. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Government is committed to opening up jury service to as many eligible people as possible and ensuring disability is never a barrier. No juror is expected to meet the cost of interpreting. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) arranges and funds British Sign Language interpreting for jurors throughout their service, including during deliberations, via national language service contracts.
Jurors may also claim loss of earnings and other allowances under existing regulations, so cost should not prevent eligible deaf people from serving. HMCTS keeps operational procedures under review with the judiciary to ensure provision is timely and effective and that eligible jurors are not excluded from panels on cost grounds. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaf people who have completed jury service since the coming into force of the legal right to British Sign Language interpreters in jury deliberation rooms in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) Since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act came into force in 2022, there have been 84 bookings made for BSL interpreters to assist a deaf juror in deliberations. HMCTS collects a range of information to support the administration of jury service and to fulfil its Public Sector Equality Duty, and this is regularly reviewed to ensure it is robust and proportionate. Information on adjustments made for individual jurors is not held centrally. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of data collection on (a) deaf jurors and (b) jurors with other protected characteristics within jury service records. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) Since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act came into force in 2022, there have been 84 bookings made for BSL interpreters to assist a deaf juror in deliberations. HMCTS collects a range of information to support the administration of jury service and to fulfil its Public Sector Equality Duty, and this is regularly reviewed to ensure it is robust and proportionate. Information on adjustments made for individual jurors is not held centrally. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of interpreter absence on the ability of deaf jurors to fully participate in court proceedings. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Government is committed to ensuring that all jurors are able to participate effectively in the Criminal Justice System. Since new legislative provisions came into force in 2022, deaf jurors may be granted the assistance of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in the jury deliberation room. If an interpreter is unavailable at any point, it is for the trial judge to decide whether to proceed or to adjourn until appropriate support is in place. Courts source interpreters through the Ministry of Justice’s contracted suppliers, with contingency arrangements (including booking pairs of BSL interpreters for deliberations) to manage fatigue and ensure quality.
HMCTS guidance makes clear that reasonable adjustments must be put in place to enable jurors with disabilities to participate, and that interpreter support should be arranged promptly where required. Where an interpreter is temporarily unavailable, jury officers and the judge will consider appropriate interim steps, such as written communication, assistive listening technology, or a brief adjournment, so that the juror is not disadvantaged. Judicial guidance in the Equal Treatment Bench Book underlines that arrangements are judicially led in line with legislation. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department provides to court staff on communicating with deaf jurors in the absence of an interpreter. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Government is committed to ensuring that all jurors are able to participate effectively in the Criminal Justice System. Since new legislative provisions came into force in 2022, deaf jurors may be granted the assistance of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in the jury deliberation room. If an interpreter is unavailable at any point, it is for the trial judge to decide whether to proceed or to adjourn until appropriate support is in place. Courts source interpreters through the Ministry of Justice’s contracted suppliers, with contingency arrangements (including booking pairs of BSL interpreters for deliberations) to manage fatigue and ensure quality.
HMCTS guidance makes clear that reasonable adjustments must be put in place to enable jurors with disabilities to participate, and that interpreter support should be arranged promptly where required. Where an interpreter is temporarily unavailable, jury officers and the judge will consider appropriate interim steps, such as written communication, assistive listening technology, or a brief adjournment, so that the juror is not disadvantaged. Judicial guidance in the Equal Treatment Bench Book underlines that arrangements are judicially led in line with legislation. |
Courts: Sign Language
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has considered setting national minimum standards for British Sign Language interpreter provision across all courts. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Ministry of Justice has set national minimum standards for British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter provision across courts through the Language Services Contract. All interpreters must be registered with a voluntary National Regulator for Language Service professionals, with the minimum qualification standard for court work being a Level 6 BSL qualification. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of British Sign Language interpreters for deaf jurors. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 placed the right to British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting in the jury deliberation room on a statutory footing (now section 9C of the Juries Act 1974). The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a range of high-quality language services that meet the needs of all those that require them. Visual and tactile provisions, including sign language interpreters, are met and monitored through the Ministry of Justice's language services contract with Clarion Interpreting Ltd. Whilst HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not record protected characteristics of jurors in respect of complaints, an interrogation of data held suggests that there have been two recorded complaints regarding interpreter provision for jury service support in the last five years. When concerns are raised, HMCTS addresses them at a local level and, where appropriate, escalates issues through established contract management processes and ongoing improvements in data quality and governance. The quality of interpreting provided to the Department, including the management of its register of interpreters, is assured by an independent provider, The Language Shop (TLS). TLS undertakes a programme of assessments for interpreters, as well as an annual audit of supplier processes for onboarding new interpreters. These safeguards ensure the legal right is delivered in practice while maintaining the integrity of the jury room. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints has HM Courts and Tribunals Service received from deaf jurors regarding interpreter provision in the last five years. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 placed the right to British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting in the jury deliberation room on a statutory footing (now section 9C of the Juries Act 1974). The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a range of high-quality language services that meet the needs of all those that require them. Visual and tactile provisions, including sign language interpreters, are met and monitored through the Ministry of Justice's language services contract with Clarion Interpreting Ltd. Whilst HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not record protected characteristics of jurors in respect of complaints, an interrogation of data held suggests that there have been two recorded complaints regarding interpreter provision for jury service support in the last five years. When concerns are raised, HMCTS addresses them at a local level and, where appropriate, escalates issues through established contract management processes and ongoing improvements in data quality and governance. The quality of interpreting provided to the Department, including the management of its register of interpreters, is assured by an independent provider, The Language Shop (TLS). TLS undertakes a programme of assessments for interpreters, as well as an annual audit of supplier processes for onboarding new interpreters. These safeguards ensure the legal right is delivered in practice while maintaining the integrity of the jury room. |
Juries: Hearing Impairment
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Monday 22nd September 2025 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has consulted with organisations representing deaf people on the barriers faced by deaf people when undertaking jury service. Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) The Ministry of Justice engaged with organisations representing deaf people, including the British Deaf Association, when developing and implementing new measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, to support jurors who require the support of BSL interpreters in the deliberation room. We continue to collect feedback from jurors and courts to improve and refine our processes and share best practice. |
Health Professions: Migrant Workers
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West) Wednesday 1st October 2025 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of fast-tracking accreditation for internationally-trained healthcare professionals to help increase local staffing levels. Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) Healthcare professional regulators are the independent bodies responsible for safeguarding patient and public safety by ensuring that only those meeting the necessary standards can be added to their registers and work in the United Kingdom, whether qualified in the UK or overseas. As healthcare regulators are independent of Government, it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds for registration. Some regulators already provide supported pathways for different groups of overseas qualified professionals, for example, refugees. Current arrangements under provisions in the EU Exit Regulations, known as the ‘standstill’ provisions, ensure that UK regulators continue to automatically recognise relevant European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss healthcare qualifications as they did before the UK left the EU. This enables applicants holding these qualifications to achieve UK registration more quickly. While achieving UK registration as an international healthcare professional should be as efficient and fast as possible, it is important that it remains a robust safeguard for patient protection. In addition, the Government is committed to developing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our National Health Service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, enhancing conditions for all staff, while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions. |